Somerset High School cut the ribbon Thursday on a newly expanded welding lab that combines three former classrooms into 38 total stations, addressing demand that had outgrown the old space. Before the expansion, 145 students were enrolled in the welding program while another 100 were on the waiting list, according to Somerset Independent School District.
The expansion merges 30 indoor welding stations with eight outdoor stations, giving the program room to accommodate demand that had outgrown its old space, as reported by KSAT. Before the overhaul, 145 students were enrolled while another 100 remained stuck on a waitlist, according to the San Antonio Express-News. The district planned the expansion as demand outgrew the program's old space.
A Program Built on Real-World Credentials
The district says the expanded lab delivers hands-on learning opportunities, industry certifications, and a path to college credit, per KSAT's report. Those credentials aren't symbolic — students in the program earn industry-recognized certifications through both the American Welding Society and the Canadian Welding Bureau, according to Somerset Independent School District. Somerset ISD Superintendent José Moreno said the district is committed to ensuring students graduate prepared for success, whether they continue their education, earn industry credentials, or enter the workforce directly, per the same KSAT report.
Leading the shop is welding instructor Hector Marines, a Somerset High School alumnus who spent four years as a professional welder and installer at Mission Metal Fabricators before returning to teach at his alma mater, the Express-News notes. Marines himself once took welding classes at Somerset High when the program was crammed into a makeshift room shared with woodshop and agriculture classes, the outlet reports.
Competing Beyond the Classroom
Somerset welding students take part in SkillsUSA, including a team activity, according to the district.
Somerset ISD spans 85 square miles across southwestern Bexar County and northwestern Atascosa County and serves more than 4,100 students total, per the district's own figures. At Somerset High School specifically, which enrolls roughly 1,150 students, Texas Education Agency data for the 2025–2026 year shows 93.7% of students are Hispanic and 83.3% are economically disadvantaged, according to the Texas Tribune. For a community with those demographics, the program offers industry credentials and a path to enter the workforce or continue education.
Filling a National Shortage
The timing lines up with a looming labor gap. The American Welding Society projected that the country will need 320,500 new welding professionals by 2029 to meet growth demand and offset mass retirements, according to Tidewater Tech, which notes that 21% of the current U.S. welding workforce is over 55 while fewer than 10% are under 25.
Welding is among the Career and Technical Education programs Somerset ISD offers. The district frames the welding lab expansion as part of a broader push to prepare students for the region's growing manufacturing industry.
